CN Noir: Beast Boy
by 0Frite0
Summary: "Forget it Gar, it's Townsville." CN Noir is a murder mystery set within the Cartoon Network Universe. A murderer has killed Ben Tennyson, a popular character on the stream, and murder detectives Garfield and Mandy are the first ones on the scene. Can they find out who would be reckless enough to endanger the entire stream? [NOTE: CHECK MY PROFILE FOR LINKS TO CN NOIR STORIES.]
1. Chapter 1

[What is CN Noir? CN Noir is a murder mystery set within the Cartoon Network Universe. It goes beyond a mere crossover, but since there is no Cartoon Network category, I'll be spreading the story over multiple crossovers. If you want to see where the story is going, or catch up on previous chapters, check out my profile to see where to go.]

-Beast Boy-

There's something serene about listening to the rain against your car. It's like each little drop is a suicide bomber for some kind of Imperial water collective in the sky, yet they don't know how their violent deaths just really put me into a state of tranquility. These nights I need that tranquility. Especially now. Especially with Mandy.

I can see her from the rain soaked windshield. She's in Pop's diner getting something health conscious. I've always tried to see her mouth the words 'thank you' to Pops or Ed, but it never seems to happen. That's not how Mandy is. Hell, the whole city knows that.

I'm leaning back in our unmarked squad car, listening to recent news from the stream. The typical calls are going out all over Townsville. Typical bull shit. The kind of low-level crime that has steadily increased since Blossom and her sisters retired. I try not to think about it… Hell, I try to think much about anything outside the stream.

Mandy is making her way back. I smirk to myself, looking at her attire. Mandy is a dark, joyless woman. Yet, for some fucking reason… She always seems to draw towards the color pink. Her suit is all black, but there's that undershirt hidden underneath with a bright pink hue that would never match the temperament of my bitter, pissed off, sarcastic bitch of a partner.

She opens the door and quickly slides in, giving me a quick glance before staring forward. She then reaches forward and cuts off the stream news, "Turn up the CB. We're working Garfield."

I give her a good stare for a moment before I open the door, the sudden rush of rain filling my long green ears. I don't need her sass this early in our shift. She doesn't even look at me as I start to get out. I sigh as I mutter out, "I'm gonna get some coffee."

The streets are mostly empty. Townsville is usually a bustling city by day, but at night it almost feels like everyone is gone. It's almost as if the city were abandoned when the darkness cascades over the once happy streets. Maybe its because the Powerpuff Girls are gone, but... This city has changed. Each building hosts a series of windows that show nothing but dark, empty rooms, vacant of what I would like to call life and comfort. Are there even any people in there? Being a cop is hard in this town. There are never any witnesses in Townsville. At least after 10 PM…

I do a light jog across the street and push open the front door. Pops is sitting behind the counter as he always is, Ed working diligently behind him. I frown when I see Ed. He was always a very submissive person, even though he's now built like an ox. First with Eddy and now with Pops.

Pops jerks his head violently towards him as Ed spills mop water from the bucket on the floor. "Ed, you idiot! Mop that up boy and start over! You just made my floors dirty again."

"O-ok Pops."

"Hey Pops, leave the kid alone huh?" I ask a bit gently. I'm not sure if Pops ever thought of me differently as a cop before, but seeing the way he looked at me now, I could tell he was in no mood to respect me or my badge.

"Do you employ this idiot Beast Boy?"

"No, but you don't gotta treat your employees like garbage. He works hard man…" Ed lifts his solemn gaze up at me. He gives a pathetic pouty lip, bringing me back to the days when he was in the stream.

Pops gave me a snarl. I had heard that Pops was a kind, respectful man from others around town. But ever since he moved to Townsville, the man has shown nothing but harshness and venom. I rub my temples, looking down for a moment to process this sudden headache I have from that name. I lift my eyes to him with my own snarl, bringing out a bit of the beast I promised to keep to myself, "And don't fucking call me that Pops." I answer back with my own snarl.

Pops takes a step back, his hand reaching underneath the counter. Ed is looking on, bewildered as he always seems to be.

I suddenly hear the screech of tires. Mandy has floored the car from out of the alley, pulling it up alongside the curb. I turn away from Pops for a moment, parting the door to see what has gotten her excited.

She rolls down the window giving a loud yell, "Let's go Garfield! We got a call. It's a bad one."

I give Mandy a grimace as she sits waiting for me. If she needed me that bad, maybe she shouldn't have struck up an attitude. I release the door, looking back to Pops. "What the fuck are you d-" I hear her yelp out as the door shuts closed. As I focus in back at Pops, I notice he has placed a large revolver on the counter. Ed has backed away towards the kitchen. Even he knows what this conversation is evolving into.

"Have a license for that hand cannon Pops?" I ask, my pointy tooth poking from my lips in a wicked smile. Intimidation works best when you're unpredictable. And I have been anything but for as long as I can remember. My hands are stuffed into my coat pockets. I can hear Mandy slamming the car door to come in and get me.

Pops seems hesitant. Its obvious from his face he'd like nothing better than to blow my head off, but I know he couldn't do it. Sweat trails down his forehead as he looks to me and then the gun. Back and forth…

The door swings open and Mandy comes inside. She takes no notice of me or the gun, but instead just walks over to Pops casually. She takes him by the scruff and slams his head down into the counter, "You are threatening an officer of the law with a firearm. Idiots like you have been killed for less."

Pops squeaks out, "Arg, I-I'm sorry!"

Mandy turns towards me. She starts walking past me until I feel a sudden pain in one of my elvish ears. She yanks at it, pulling me along out the door, "Ow ow ow ow ow!" I grunt out. This is feeling familiar.

Once outside, I get free.

"Fuck, Raven stop! That hurts!"

Mandy pauses, looking back at me with a curious yet annoyed look on her face. "Raven? Garfield, look… We got a call. And as much as I'd completely LOVE to see you die as stupidly as you were about to, we have work to do and I don't need to train a new partner." She stops, taking a small breath, "Ben Tennyson has been murdered."

I pause. That can't be. At once, all the memories of Raven dissipate and my mind starts clicking things together. Ben can't be dead. He's still present on the stream. I say as much to Mandy, "But, doesn't he have a new show on the stream? Who would do that?"

"I don't know." Mandy says slowly, "But fucking around with Pops and Ed isn't going to get us anywhere in picking up this case. The call just went out, and I'll be damned if that asshole Eddy gets it."

I nod as she makes her ultimatum. Mandy is right, I can't keep dicking around here if the case is as serious as she says. I make my way for the passenger door and let myself in. Mandy circles around the car, a bit of a jog in her step. She always hated Eddy with a passion, and the thought of Eddy getting to such a big case as this seemed to put a liveliness in her I had never seen before.

I got a glimpse of Ed and Pops as I buckled my seat. Pops seemed to breath a sigh of relief, and then instantly turn back to Ed. The spit blasting from his big, unseemly mouth seemed to dictate that Pops was back to yelling at the poor bastard. I could almost hear him over the rain...

As she hopped in, I turned the CB up, listening for more information about the call. Mandy was already flooring it down the street as more information came in. 'Ben Tennyson, white male, age twenty five, Stream present. I repeat Stream present!'

Even the radio Op seemed to be taken aback by the news. Someone in the stream doesn't just get murdered. Sure, you can kill him, but why the fuck would you? It messes up the system for the rest of us.

Mandy suddenly spoke up, "Since we have some time before we get there… Who's Raven?"

I pause for a moment, collecting my thoughts. Mandy flipped on the siren. Suddenly the interior of the car was cascaded in blue and red. The sound of the siren above sounded distant, but in reality it was right above me. It was how I felt about Raven. In reality, I had no idea where she was, but I never had anyone so close to my heart. "Raven is… Was someone very close to me. Things got out of hand when the Titans split up after the stream ended. I still keep in touch with a few of them but… Departing with Raven was the hardest."

I look to Mandy. She wasn't even looking at me, her narrow eyes still fixated on the road. She took a quick turn, the wheels sliding along the slick pavement below.

I continue regardless, "After the stream ended. She had to… Go away. That's all I wanna say about that." I mutter out, lowering my head. I feel my chest heave up as the memories flow freely within, the yearning to hold her in my arms again is so strong it almost hurts. I sigh, leaning back in the chair.

Mandy says nothing. She only glances at me for a moment before pulling up on the curb. Two boys in blue are standing outside. Their side-characters, I don't really recognize them.

I get out of the car, looking towards the apartment they have sealed off. So far it seems like we're the first two here. I turn towards the street cop.

"Witnesses?" I ask the cop, stepping away from the car. He lifts a hand to his head, giving a sigh.

"Not much, as usual. We got one person who says she saw Ben and the suspect going in together. It sounds like Ben knew the perp."

"What's her name?" I ask, looking towards where the other cop is speaking to her. She's an old woman, fat yet seemingly active enough to move around. I can't quite place her…

"Muriel Bagge."

"THE Muriel?" I ask. She lived in Nowhere last I had heard. I can place her now. Despite still being fat, the years haven't been kind to her. Maybe it was the lack of sun from the desert, but she looked paler, more saggy. I didn't see Courage either. I hope he didn't...

"Yeah, she says she moved her after the divorce. She was carrying home groceries before she heard the shot."

I turn back to Mandy. Her eyes are focused on the apartment itself. She crosses her arms, shaking head head as I walk up to her. "This one is already weird. I can tell." She says, looking towards me. I have a hard time looking at Mandy in the eyes. Her intensity usually puts me off or I have to divert them, but now I can see it… The worry. Mandy knows this is bad. If there's a killer out there offing people who are in the stream, then it's a threat to all of us. And if he or she kills again?

Mandy sighs, "It's a message of some sort. Killing Ben means you don't like the way the stream is going. The perp is making a statement."

I chip in, "Problem is, we don't know what the perp would prefer. There are a lot of people out there, old and new, who have opinions on what the Stream should be.

"Yeah, but they don't kill someone to say it. Why damage the world with such a brash action? The perp has to realize he's part of it."

"Maybe he's crazy," I say, turning to face the apartment.

"That's too simple. They targeted Ben because his new show just premiered. He was working again. The time frame just adds too much to the motive."

I sigh, "Well, Ben knew the perp. So we should probably start with friends of Tennyson."

"People liked Ben 10?"

I snort at that, walking towards the apartment with a smile. I can't see it, but I just know Mandy is smirking right behind me.

I head over to Muriel as Mandy makes her way inside. Mandy and I always had good chemistry on the job. I guess you could say we had a pretty obvious good cop-bad cop dynamic going. If we wanted to make a suspect sweat, she'd be the one talking. Right now though, I had to make Muriel calm so that I could get everything I needed from her. I approached slowly, waiting for the other cop to step away. "Miss Bagge? Could I ask you some questions?"

"Oh sure deary~! I don't mind a bit." The cheerfulness threw me off more than I thought her Scottish accent would. Still, I smiled my toothy smile and shook her hand, continuing.

"My name is Detective Logan. I work for TPD. Could you please tell me what you saw?"

"Well, I was on me wee way home from the store to pick up some things. I saw Ben, such a nice young boy, and a metallic looking man walking inside together."

"Did Ben seem worried about this encounter?"

"Not at all! The lad seemed excited more like. He was ushering the metallic man inside, eager to continue talking."

"When did you hear the shot?"

"When I got to my front door. I was fussing about with my keys, trying to get in when I heard one loud shot. Eustace used to carry a shotgun round, so I know what a gun sounds like."

"Did the metallic man come out front?"

"Nope. I peeked from my window to watch him leave as I called the police, but he never did."

I look at her for a moment. While it's odd how casual she is about all this, Muriel has seen a number of strange things in her life. It's not very clear how complicit she could be.

I shake her hand again, "Thank you Miss Bagge, we'll be in touch." I doubt we'll interview her again. She seems harmless. I turn away from Muriel as she strikes up what seems to be an exhausting unrelated conversation with the street cop. Poor guy is too polite, because he seems to be listening.

I step inside the apartment, stuffing my hands inside my coat pockets. As soon as I step in, I turn to the right. Ben had a makeshift living area next to his kitchen. His body was laying frontwards, head slammed into the glass of the television. Mandy is kneeled down in front of the body. She has an intense look on her face as she studies the crime scene.

"He fall into the TV?" I ask, kneeling down with her.

"Doubtful. There's a blood splatter on the TV that couldn't be from a hand-to-hand wound. He was shot then shoved inside. Looks like he was messing with the TV when the bullet blew his brains out."

"So, putting his head in the television is another message huh?" I add up.

Mandy doesn't answer. She just leans in to look at the body. "Ben was facing away from the perk when he was shot. His eye is blown out." She takes a gloved hand and turns his head towards me to see. I nod as she lays it back. His neck creaks with rigor mortis.

"Muriel say anything useful?" She asks me.

"Metallic. I'm guessing either our perp is a robot or someone wearing armor."

"That sure narrows it down." She says sarcastically. I snicker at that, standing up straight.

"I'm going to check around the house." Mandy doesn't answer. She's too involved in working out the body and how it fell. I turn away from her, heading towards the kitchen. I take hold of the fridge door with my hand still inside the pocket and pull it open. The soft whirr of the refrigerator peppers the silence of the crime scene. Looking inside I see nothing of note. There wasn't any liquor. Perhaps Ben wasn't expecting his metallic guest...

I turn from the kitchen and make my way upstairs. Peeking into the bedroom, I look around for clues. There are a number of posters hung up on the wall, all showing Tennyson's achievements and shows. I had lost count how many times Ben's show got rebooted or sequalized. It didn't really matter though, Ben was making due. I huff, trying to find something of interest. There are a pile of magazines on the bed with a bag and a receipt. Nothing too crazy, just video games and anime mags. Ben was probably getting his influences fresh.

I turn away from the room, slipping into the bathroom. It looked fairly clean. It was surprising because I had always pictured Ben as rather immature. Sort of like me when I was with the Titans-

I carefully open the medicine cabinet and look inside. Nothing of note really, just some aspirin and cold medicine.

I make my way back downstairs. Mandy looks grumpy. I turn to find Eddy standing before me. He is standing in a white suit, all flash, all parody. I can't even take him seriously. I squint my eyes at him, as if his suit were blinding me.

"What's up fuckers?" He says, giving his big stupid grin that stretches past his fucking face.

I turn away from Eddy and look at Mandy. She was glaring at him, but as soon as she sees me ignore the cunt. She's all business. I smirk to myself. Mandy knows me too damn well. She follows suit, acting as if he wasn't even there, "So, anything of note upstairs?"

"Hey."

"Not that I can tell," I say. "There were some recently bought magazines. Anime, videos games and the like. I think Ben was trying to get back in character."

"Hey assholes."

"What about you?" I ask, biting my lip as Mandy smirks at me.

"FUCK-"

"The scene is pretty self-explanatory. I'm not totally convinced we're dealing with a robot, but I think we have enough to go on and investigate."

"-ERS"

Eddy is getting impatient. Which is perfect. I want to desperately turn to him to look at his face, to relish in the great way Eddy gets pissed off. But I hold. Like a Legionnaire on the battlefield, I wait for the barbarian.

Mandy is holding as well. I nod towards the stairs, having her follow me as we make our way upstairs. "There's some stuff upstairs I need you to look at. Ben has an amazing collection of posters." She follows. I feel like a Teen Titan again. Goofing around with Cyborg. Mandy wasn't laughing, but her smile was always a sight to see. We make our way to the top of the stairs, about to turn into his room.

"BEN'S FUCKING OMNITRIX WAS SENT TO THE STATION!"

We stopped when we heard that. Mandy turns towards Eddy. "When?"

Eddy crosses his arms, pouting. He is still such a fucking cartoon. "Why should I tell you assholes?"

"Because Eddy." Mandy takes a step towards him, stepping down from the stairs. "Because if this shit happened yesterday. If you had this in your possession, a tool that Ben uses on his show in the stream, I'm going to beat you within an inch of your life."

Eddy pauses at that. The look on his face tells it all.

"Oh my fucking God Eddy, why didn't you say anything?" I asked, running my hands through my hair. This was bad. If we had warning… If we had time…

Mandy was none too pleased. She continued towards him, step by step, as calm as always. She wasn't walking past Eddy though, she was going right for him. I knew what that meant.

I give a grunt as I rush down the stairs to stop her. I side jump from the last stair to her side, reaching out and grabbing her by the shoulders. Her hands come out like claws, ready to tear into Eddy like he was a piece of meat. Her teeth grit, her eyes are afire, yet her tone never raises. It never gets loud when Mandy is pissed. It only gets frightening.

"Do you realize what kind of shit you could have prevented with that clue? If something is sent to the god damn police station, its probably a threat. And what greater piece of evidence against Ben Tennyson would there be than the fucking tool that gives him powers?" Mandy became looser in my arms. She gave an exhale, lifting her hand to her face. "Ok… Well, at least we know that he wants us to see his crimes. He's putting on a show, trying to get us to challenge him. Which means that when this shit happens again," She glares at Eddy, "And it will, we'll be able to bring the victim into protective custody before anything can be done."

I lower my hand from Mandy as she calms down. Though I'm not even sure if she ever lost her cool.

Eddy seems distant. He's looking outside towards the squad cars, watching as a crowd builds around the yellow tape. Not long now. This case will be all over the news in a few hours.

Mandy looks towards me, raising her brows, "What now?"

I look towards the back, making my way to check the door to the backyard. Mandy and Eddy follow, Eddy lagging behind in the back. I reach for the door handle to the backyard, twisting it to find it unlocked. I give Mandy a look.

"Well, at least we know where the perp went." She says as I open the door. The light from inside spills onto the bare, lifeless backyard. Its a small backyard, with basically just a small patch of grass covering it. There's a grill in the corner and a high wooden fence that stretches around the property. I reach into my inner coat pocket and pull out my flashlight. The three of us step onto the lawn, looking around for clues.

Eddy seems to be interested in the grill. He pokes and prods at it, not really doing anything worthwhile. I'm guessing Mandy's little spat made him feel a bit stupid. Mandy had that effect on people sometimes. God knows I've had that feeling before, but I wasn't about to pity the bastard. He fucked up and he knows it. Let him sulk in his failure for a bit.

Mandy seemed focused on the grass. My take was that she was looking for a gun, but I doubt the killer would make such an amateur move. My guess is that he'd keep the gun to either use it again or destroy it.

I started around the high fence, kicking at boards. I came to the middle of one section and found a loose one. I whistle over to Mandy and she nods, walking over. "So, that's how he got out."

"He could've jumped the fence-" Eddy began, but before he could finish a police trooper stepped out back.

"Detectives, Chief is calling in. He's saying they just got sent another clue."

"I'll take the call." I make my way back through the house, getting a good look at Tennyson as the forensics guys start to make their way inside. Out on the street, a crowd is building. People are asking questions, showing their fear. They know what this means as much as we do.

I see one of the patrol men standing outside his squad car. He has a radio in his hand ready for me to take. I walk over to him, dodging some loud questions coming from the press. Giving a sigh, I take the radio from the cop, "This is Logan."

"Logan, this is the Chief. Eddy filled me in on the way here what's happened."

"Did he now?" I say sarcastically, looking towards the front door of the apartment as I watch Eddy and Mandy emerge from the entrance. Neither can stand to look at each other. "I hear you've got another one."

"Yep. Its in the same style of packaging, but I don't know what the significance is."

"Well, what is it?" I ask, scratching behind one of my ears.

"Mustard. Just a plain bottle of mustard. What do you think?"

Mustard.. Mustard.

Mandy comes up next to me. She has an annoyed look on her face. Her face changes into something different as soon as she sees me, something which looks like fear. Her mouth comes agape as he raises a hand to my shoulder, giving me a light shake. "Garfield, what is it? Gar…"

It has clicked but I don't recognize it. I can't process it. My mind is refusing what my gut tells me.

I drop the radio, my hands are shaking. I can hear chief on the other line. He's yelling my name. "Logan? LOGAN!"

I'm a mess by the time I get the phone in my hands. My prior instincts seem to be catching up with me. I wanna shift, I wanna turn into a cheetah and dart over to her. I want to save her. The phone feels like its going to slip from my grasp, I'm shaking so hard. My legs quiver as I try to stand straight.

I manage to find her number, pressing on the talk button to call her. I raise the phone to my ear, breathing heavily as I await for her voice.

I have time. I have time. She's fine.

Mandy grabs the radio from where it hangs, lifting it to her mouth, "Chief, Garfield knows the next victi- Uh… The next person in danger. He's calling her now. Garfield? Garfield! Who is it?"

"Mmf~... H-hello?" Comes a voice on the phone. She's alive. Oh my God, she's alive.

"S-Starfire? Kori, are you ok?" I quiver out. My voice cracks in a way that I haven't heard it since I was in the tower. Since I was in Jump City.

Mandy is quick on the uptake. "Chief, its Starfire. Get a squad of troopers over to Starfire's house now."

Eddy walks over to see what all the fuss is about. He's dangling a toothpick in his mouth, looking very nonchalant.

"Beast Boy? Mm, I'm all for catching up my friend, but it is rather late."

"Starfire. I need you to get up and get ready to leave."

"What're you talking about? Beast Boy, what's wrong?"

"Starfire, try and get to the police station. We need to protect you." I stammer out, sitting down inside the squad car as I try to muster my courage. By her pause, I can tell she's confused. My throat holds in my throat. She's going to hang up on me.

"Beast Boy? What are you saying? Why would you need to protect me, I'm a super-"

"T-there's a killer after you Starfire. He already managed to get Tennyson's Omnitrix away from him and… Kill him. Ben Tennyson is dead Starfire, and you've been targeted as next. So please, get dressed and get to the police station as fast as you can. I'll be waiting for you."

Starfire pauses again, taking a deep breath, "You know, normally I'd think you were pranking me, but those days seem so far away now, don't they?"

It was my turn to pause then. I lower my head, letting out a small laugh as I lift my hand to my head. "Please Starfire, get to the station. Please."

"I'm getting ready. I'll see you soon Beast Boy." She says softly.

She hangs up at that point. I would have liked to keep listening to her. Hell, I could have listened to her speak up until the moment I saw her at the station. Was I being overly worried? Starfire was a super hero, there's no way a normal person could take her down. I look up to Mandy. She was looking at me, watching me in my pathetic wretch of a condition as the thoughts of losing another Titan…

"Beast Boy… You're crying." Mandy whispers. I lift my hand to my face, wiping the tears away. I can't do this. Not now, not here… Not in front of her. She'll never let it go. She will think I'm weak. She'll…

"Don't call me Beast Boy."


	2. Chapter 2

[WARNING: You will have needed to read the following chapters (In the following Order) for this to make sense. **Beast Boy 01**, **Blossom 01** and **Ed 01. **If you haven't read those yet, you can find the stories in my profile.]

The whiskey isn't cold, but it'll do. Its already half gone from last night, but thankfully there's enough to tide me over these next few hours. I pour a shot and down it. I'm pulling a night shift tonight, but in reality Mandy and I work best in the dark... Walking to the mirror, I straighten my tie and pull on my coat. Its going to be a long night tonight… That's already for sure.

As if on cue, I hear Mandy beep on the horn outside. She's here to pick me up. The rain is coming down hard as always… It feels like Townsville has been doing nothing but crying since this whole ordeal started.

I slide my revolver into my holster and grab my badge. Heading for the front door, I take a deep breath. I've been feeling paranoid ever since Starfire called. It's like I can't take one step without peeking over my shoulder. Chief Jones told me to go home after we made sure Star was safe, but that only seemed to make things worse. Drinking helps a bit, but only to steady my hands.

As I make my way downstairs that strange feeling returns again. I feel like I'm being watched… There are plenty of shadows in the darkened alleys of Townsville, and every one of them has a pair of wandering eyes. These are the type of nights I wish I could just set this town ablaze… But I can't… There's a killer out on the loose and he has Buttercup.

As I walk outside, I see Mandy in the car waiting for me. I open the passenger side door and slip inside. She's smoking… I give her a perplexed look, but she just rolls her eyes rather than say anything. She then offers me one from the pack. I oblige. "Ok Gar, where to? Starfire is waiting at the station. Jones says she's getting anxious, so it'd probably be best to move her. Eddy got a call out in the countryside. A bunch of bodies and lots of gunfire… He says Dexter, yes that Dexter, was on the scene. He's wounded and being watched at Townsville Memorial. It's your call."

I light up my smoke, leaning back into the seat. The leather gives a small squeak as I get comfortable for the drive. It might be the only time I'll be able to stay comfortable tonight. "Let's head to the station and check on Starfire." I tell her, giving a nod forward.

Mandy nods and turns on the radio. B.B. King's 'The Thrill is Gone' is on.

We sit in silence for a few moments, just comfortable in each other's company. There's no rush tonight. No guns are firing and the only bodies around seem to be in that prick Eddy's hands. Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe I need a break from all this blood.

"You ok, partner?" Mandy asks, taking a left onto Boulevard. I shrug, looking out to watch the neon lights pass us by. "Haven't slept that much lately… This kind of shit hitting you where you live tends to make you… I dunno."

"Paranoid?" She asks, glancing over to me.

"I guess." I answer lazily, taking a small puff on the smoke and leaning back. I let the exhale smoke collect around my face, looking into it like it were a cloud I wish I could just disappear inside, submerge in and never come back. It's silent for a while again.

"You really freaked me out back there, Garfield. Does this… Is this because of what happened to Raven?"

I take a breath, preparing myself, "Yeah… It does I guess. After our Stream ended, Raven wasn't… The same. She just kind of crawled into herself, went back to the beginning. Like she didn't have any friends, like no one cared for her... I didn't accept that. She'd come so far, and now she was going to block us out again? We… We got together for a good while, and she seemed happy… I was happy, but there was this hole I couldn't fill. She got violent after that, and they had to put her away."

"Did she hurt somebody? Where did they put her?" Mandy asked, stopping at a red light.

"She hurt me. And I hurt her… After it ended, I wanted to stay a hero. Keep working to put the bad ones away. Raven didn't… She thought we had struggled and suffered enough. It eventually came to blows, and that's when our relationship ended. I swore never to use my powers again and Raven got locked up in an Asylum. She's still there now. But I still believe I can help people out there. I need too. That's why I became a cop."

It's quiet for a while. I can tell Mandy didn't expect me to open up to her so much, but seeing as we may be targets for a serial killer, I felt it needed to be aired.

My ears twitch. I take in the smell. My eyes go wide for a moment, and then I frown. God dammit, really? Now? After all that?

"How long have you been back there, Robin?" I ask, looking in the rear view.

Mandy looks to me confused, "Huh?"

"Since Mandy left home." A new voice says. His voice has gotten deeper. Mandy slams on the breaks in a panic, the car skidding to a stop as horns blare loudly on our car. I hunch forward, gripping the dashboard. The two of us look back towards the back seat to see Robin sitting there. He's in his Nightwing get up. The one Starfire told us so much about.

"Mandy relax! Robin is a friend." I lay a hand on her shoulder, giving her a look as she releases her hand off her pistol. She faces forward, taking a deep breath and then continues driving.

"I don't like strangers in my car Garfield, even if you two were best buds back in the day." Says Mandy, giving her trademark grimace. She continues to drive, pulling on the interstate. I turn to look back at Robin, watching as the headlamps of the road constantly darken and illuminate him. He seems like he could just drift away in the shadows at any moment.

"It's Nightwing now actually."

"That name's pretty cute. A lot of superhero names are SUPER CUTE like that one..." Mandy says mockingly.

I give her a look before turning to Nightwing. I give a shrug, lifting my hand, "So, what's up? You just drop in to look dramatic? Or do you have something you wanna say?"

"You know why I'm here."

"No, I don't Robin. I don't know why you're in Mandy's car spying on two officers of the law while they talk about intimate details about their past." I say, rolling my eyes. He just glares at me through his mask.

"Starfire."

I turn back forward, crossing my arms, "Jesus, really? What? You wanna take her away and keep her safe? She's fine at the station. Plus we're moving her soon, so there's no reason to be worried."

"That's not a good enough answer. She's in danger Beast Boy-"

"Don't call me that Robin. I'm not a hero anymore."

"Look, Garfield… I understand why you quit being a superhero. After the stream ended… I get it, more now than I did before, I get it. But you can be doing what you're doing now if you were to come with me. Be a superhero again…"

I pause, looking out the window. "I left that life behind, Robin. I'm a cop now." I catch a glimpse of Mandy looking at me. She smiles to herself, and then continues driving. "Besides, why are you drilling me about this? It's not like the rest of the Titans are fighting crime either. Cy is overseas, Raven is locked up and Starfire is doing a solo thing in the stream. Why me?"

"Because you show the motivation. After you quit being a hero, you decided to be a cop anyway. You still want to help people."

"I do... And I don't wanna go beyond the law and become a vigilante to do it. I'd rather do it proper." I tell him, looking back at him.

"You and Blossom are exactly the same-"

"Hey, don't bring her into this! Her fucking sister is missing you selfish-"

"Oh, and you don't think I'm doing anything about that? I've been out night and day while you drink-"

Mandy finally pipes up, stopping our arguing, "Boys, boys! If anyone has the biggest dick in this car it's gonna be me. So both of you shut the fuck up." Mandy had a way of making me feel like an idiot. She looks to the two of us and glares with annoyance. "Now, I can understand what you are trying to say Boy Wonder, but Garfield is MINE now. And like hell am I going to let him run off, put on some purple spandex and go hand-to-hand with a serial killer who can erase his powers. You've probably seen the Buttercup tape, right? He's better off where he is."

Its weird having someone place a stamp of ownership on you. I'll admit, whenever someone claimed that kind of power, like Robin, I would usually tune out. But it feels good knowing that Mandy wants me with her.

I look back to gauge Robin's reaction to that. He's gone. As quickly as he arrived. I roll my eyes and look back forward. Mandy glances in the rearview and snorts. "Batman wannabe, isn't he?" She says.

I snicker at that, "You have no idea… Robin was always very serious. I'm guessing that's where he takes it from. Still, I lived with him for years when I was with the Titans and still never knew much about him. He was a complete and utter mystery. We even raided his room a few times and never found anything linking back to his origins. Who knows..."

"I miss the red and the green. Now he's all dark and brooding…" Mandy says, making a overly curved frowny face, imitating him. I can't help but laugh. I don't tell Mandy, but her 'Angry Batman' face is strikingly similar to how she normally looks. It puts her in high spirits though, and she lets out a small 'Ha.'

"Heh, well… Maybe with him watching over Star all stalker like, she'll be in better hands."

We finally make it to the station and make our way into Homicide. I look about to see who's in as Mandy takes her seat at her desk. Chief Jones is looking over the white board. He's nervously twirling his ascot. We have our three victims pinned up (Including our potential one), Ben 10, Buttercup and Starfire, but we're having a hard time connecting them. Sure, Starfire and Ben were currently in the Stream, but Buttercup hasn't been in the Stream in years. What's the connection?

I see Starfire lazily clicking through her phone on the couch to the side. She looks annoyed. Starfire had changed quite a bit since we were younger. She wasn't as bubbly as her old self and she had become a lot more vain. Having her own solo project in the stream seemed to make her out as one of those flashy movie stars in Hollywood or something. Hell, she even dressed up in a red dress when she came to the precinct. Its like she's making an appearance for everything in her life...

Mandy is reviewing what's on the objective tonight. Seems like she has plans to interfere with both aspects of Eddy's case. I never knew why Mandy had such a grudge against Eddy. Sure, Mandy hated a lot of people, and honestly Eddy was a cunt, but for some reason she looked at him with such venom at times it scared me.

I figure I might as well go speak to the lady I came here to speak to. I walk over to her, hands in my pockets. I don't know why, but I'm nervous. Its been so long since I've had a face to face with any of my old colleagues, and there's this need to make a good first impression with her. Unfortunately for me, as soon as her bright eyes drift over to me I lock up. "H-Hey Kori, how you doing?"

She smiles, standing up to walk over to me. I'm not sure what she's doing… She hugs me. Her arms wrap around my neck, pulling me in close. I'm pressed against her neck, her being taller than me, but I still wrap my arms around her waist. "It's so good to see you, Beast Boy."

"Uhm, thanks Kori, you too. And just call me Garfield or Detective Logan. I-I don't like that name much anymore." I pull away from her, giving her one of my toothy grins for old times sake. She bites her lip.

She nods with a proper smile, taking me by the hand and leading me over to her couch. She sits down gracefully and I follow, looking at her with a part in my mouth. She's as beautiful and as charming as ever. "So, who do you think is after me Garfield?"

"Well, we don't know right now. We thought it was someone who was upset with the current status of the Stream, but-"

"That's seemed to have changed since Buttercup's kidnapping." Mandy says, walking over to us. She has a few files in her hands and she's gently peering through them as she speaks to us, "We were building a profile for this guy, but it seems now we have to go back to square one."

"Maybe the killings are just random." Starfire offers.

"No," I respond, "They're planned out, and he or she has been planning them for a while. This must have been years in the making, because I don't know of any technology that can depower a superhuman…" I say, looking to Mandy.

"Me neither, but for now we need to focus on keeping you safe. And frankly, it isn't here. Where do you think she should hold up, Garfield?" Mandy asks me, bringing her file to her side.

"A hotel is too exposed and people would to look at my place…" I flinch, realizing what I'm about to ask. "Mandy, is your place ok?"

The look on her face tells it all. The angry arch of her eyebrows, the frown. Mandy is in full form right now. At any other time I'd laugh at her reaction, but I need her to agree with this. She looks to Starfire, who is bashfully batting her eyes. Mandy rolls her eyes and nods, giving Starfire a wave, "Alright, she can stay-"

"Glorious!" Suddenly Starfire wraps her arms around Mandy's waist, hoisting her up in the air as she carries her by flying. Mandy is instantly mortified and embarrassed, the red in her face being offset by complete anger and hatred, "We will have an old fashioned girl's night! Movies and popcorn and-"

"Oh my God Garfield, I hate you so fucking much. I want you to die." Mandy mumbles out to me, staring daggers as Starfire lets her down. I don't know what to say. I just lift my hand to the back of my head and try to laugh it off. The two girls leave together with Starfire babbling about more girly activities. I frown a bit, a similar memory of Raven and Starfire flashing back to me. As soon as they're gone, I stand up and walk over to Chief Jones. "Everything alright Chief?"

"It's a trap… All of this is a trap, its gotta be."

I snicker at that. Chief hasn't changed much. After years of solving mysteries independently, he finally decided to give police work ago. Problem was, not every crime has an explicit motive or reasoning. Sometimes things just happen… Sometimes someone just wants to see someone bleed. Thankfully for Fred Jones though, he may be right in this case.

"What's the news on Buttercup, chief?" I ask, walking over towards the desk in the corner to make myself some coffee. As it's brewing, Chief Jones turns to me, hands in his pockets. He's definitely not the handsome mystery sleuth anymore like he was. He's wide in the waist and wears suspenders that curve over his round belly. He still has a head full of blonde, shiny hair but it' pretty obvious from his grey moustache that he bleaches it. And of course, that trademark orange ascot hangs loosely from around his collar.

"It's a fiasco, Logan. Once the press talked to Blossom, its been all over the news. I don't know who leaked that tape to the press, but we've got pressure from the mayor to get this case solved before any more damage is done... Eddy's on your case."

I was about to pour my coffee when he dropped that bomb. I almost drop my mug, "The fuck he is. Why?"

"Two reasons: One, I need every able-bodied detective out there working the streets. Two, we just got the forensics back from Eddy's crime scene out in the stix. There's blood on the asphalt left behind. The blood came back positive as Buttercup's."

"T-then that means she may be alive… I should tell Bloss-"

"You ain't telling her shit. I've already exposed too much from this case thanks to that tape being leaked, and I'm not about to raise the hopes of the people of Townsville. This city loves the Powerpuff Girls, but we need to KNOW before we raise their hopes that their darling is alive. So, I'm asking you and Mandy to take the sticks out of your asses and start cooperating with Eddy. That said, get down to his crime scene. You two need to go over what he's found."

"Mandy isn't going to be happy."

"When is she ever, Garfield?"

"You got it Chief." I give him a small salute and grab my coat. I down the coffee before leaving my mug and making my way to a squad car. I'll get to Eddy in due time… It may be beneficial to gather information on separate ends, just in case Eddy fucks us. I decide as much as I get into an unmarked car, turning the ignition and pulling out onto the streets.

Dexter is still being treated at the hospital. Who knows for how long... He may be moved at some point or someone may try to kill him for whatever went wrong out in the stix. I need to talk to him and get his story.

I pull up to Townsville Memorial. Walking inside, I can feel the tension. A lot of people have died recently, and the staff are worried. I take a turn towards the emergency wing and look for Eddy's room. Before I get there though, I see a Doctor approaching me. She's youthful and has red hair; cute figure too, "Excuse me Doctor uh… Foster. I'm looking for Dexter, gunshot victim, should have a police escort…"

She lifts her eyes to me and nods, "Oh, yeah. He's just down the hall… But I thought…"

"What?"

"Well, we got a call from a Detective Eddy that stated the police escort was no longer needed. So, I told the cop he could go home."

Shit… I shuffle past Doctor Foster and start sprinting for Dexter's room. The fuck is Eddy doing? Is he getting money to let the rival gang's people kill him? I skip to a halt at the viewing area, peeking in to see Dexter sitting upright and watching TV. He seems fine. Doctor Foster is right behind me, catching her breath as she peers in. "Oh, thank God. I thought… When you started running…"

I stare at Dexter for a long time. I remember him from the Stream. He was very serious then, and he seems just as serious now. I know a little about Eddy's case, but not much. I know Dexter was the only living soul left at a deal which looks to have gone bad. There's millions of dollars sitting in the lock up to attest to that. Still, I need some answers.

"Doctor, if another Detective comes into this hospital you let me know. Give me your phone, send me a text if you see someone coming in." I put my number in her phone and then give it back. She gives me a nod and the heads off downstairs.

I open the door and let myself in, "Dexter, my name is Detective-"

"Garfield Logan, previously a superhero of the Teen Titans. I know who you are."

"Ok, so I need to introduction. Mind telling me what you were doing out there in the stix?"

"I was selling fake weapons to a rival."

I was a bit surprised by that, "You're awfully forthcoming with that information. You could face jail time you know."

"Maybe, but not likely. I know enough to keep me in witsec and I didn't do anything too terribly wrong."

"Terribly wrong? There are four bodies out in those fields you were found with. That's some wrong doing if I ever saw it."

"Yes, I guess you could say its a weird predicament I'm in. Yet, I haven't done anything really wrong. I didn't kill anyone. The weapons aren't there and the two that were are toys. The money isn't mine. What's there to convict me with?" He has a few points. There's not much to go with besides a pile of bodies. It depends on what the forensics pulls off the weapons, but if what he says is true… All that he's done would be dropped if he could supply reliable info to the police or FBI.

I look behind me, peering from the window to see if there was anyone looking in. I then turn back to Dexter, leaning against his hospital bed. "Do you know why Eddy would have your guard pulled?" Dexter was mildly interested in me before, but now I had his full attention. He turns off the TV, looking to me.

"How long ago?" I shrug, looking to him. He seems to process some things, looking down and thinking before he lifts his eyes to me again, "You need to move me. Eddy is probably going to try and kill me."

"What? Why would he do that?" I ask, standing up straight and crossing my arms.

"Because he probably thinks I killed Edd."

"Edd? What're you talking about?"

"There's no time. Move me now and I'll tell you everything I know. I know who has Buttercup."

I drop my arms at that. I feel a shiver tickle up my spine, as if I'm being watched again. Or is that you Robin? I give a grunt and nod, taking Dexter by his rolling bed and pulling him towards the door. I roll him out and pull my cell phone from my pocket. I dial Mandy's number as I push Dexter down the hall.

"Garfield, you have to get me out of here. Starfire is… Bouncing, and she won't stop-"

"Mandy, I may have some information on Buttercup soon, but I need you to get dressed and get down to Townsville Memorial. I need you to try and get in touch with Eddy too. He's on his way here, and for bad intentions."

"... Alright. Let me get dressed." I love that about Mandy. We sync so well together sometimes, she just knows when we need to just act and not speak.

"Where is Buttercup? Who has her?" Dexter is holding onto the railings of his hospital bed as I push him down the hallway, and then take a sharp right.

"E-Ed took her."

"Ed? I thought you said Ed was dead."

"No you idiot, the other Ed! Double D was the one who was killed. Ed is the one who killed him and took Buttercup."

"Y-you mean the two from the stream? Ed from Pops? Ed wouldn't hurt a fly." I push Dexter into a supply closet. Its tight and its dank, but there's enough room inside for him and its well hidden. I close the door behind us, panting as I catch my breath.

"Ed was working at Pops, but he has a past you might not know about. Back in the day, Ed, Edd n' Eddy use to be a tight-knit crew who stuck up banks and robbed armored cars. Double D supposedly got killed during their final robbery, Ed went to jail and Eddy got away with the money. Eddy was suspected to be the third man, but there wasn't enough to convict. He was able to get into Homicide by bribing his way in years later."

He continues, "The day before yesterday, I saw Ed at Pops' diner and offered him a job. He took it and we all went out to the fields to make the deal. I didn't know Double D was going to be there, but when he showed Ed got angry, grabbed my gun and killed him. He killed Double D's men too. Then, he tried to take the money for himself, but Rex tried to stop him. Ed killed him and then realized Double D had Buttercup. He took her and the car and sped off, leaving me in a pool of my own blood. My other man panicked and fled…"

"Who was your other man?" I ask, peeking from the door to see if anyone has appeared. I don't see Eddy or the Doctor.

Dexter hesitates a bit. "If I tell you, will it help me if I go on the witness stand?" He's always thinking a few steps ahead. I really don't know much less care about how little or more time he gets, so I just tell him, "Probably?"

"Johnny Test."

I turn towards him, "Test? He's on the stream. Why would he risk himself for a shifty gun deal?"

"I offered his sisters some priceless technology for their lab. The deal required Test to work for me."

"Sounds more like blackmail to me."

I suddenly get a text. I pull my phone from my pocket. Its from the Doctor:

'2 cops here. arguing'

I put my phone back in my pocket and turn towards Dexter. "Wait here." I then make my way to the hospital lobby, where I find both Mandy and Eddy arguing with each other. Doctor Foster is behind the front desk with a couple of nurses looking on. They seem worried. The patients waiting in the lobby seem worried too.

"I'm telling you! That prick in there killed Double D! Let me in there before I-"

"Before what you creep? Before you MAKE me get out of the way?"

I come up between them, lifting my hand to Eddy and pushing him back, "Eddy, calm down!"

Eddy looks pissed, "Me? She's the one who started it. I just came to interview my witness."

"Why did you call and have the guard pulled?"

That question seems to make Eddy pull back a bit. He takes a step backwards, composing himself as he looks towards the emergency wing. "What did he tell you?" He reaches in and pulls out a cigarette, lighting up in the middle of the hospital waiting room. Scumbag...

"Dexter says that Ed killed Double D and fucked up the whole deal. Ed then took Buttercup and the money and then escaped. Dexter also says he killed the three others. He also says you were an ex-con who used to rob banks and knock over armored cars." I step backwards a bit, lowering my arm. Mandy slides up next to me.

She pipes up, "I knew there was something slimy about you. You're going in there to keep his mouth shut about your past!"

Eddy turns towards her with an angry glare, "I'm going in there to beat him because he murdered my best friend!" He tosses his cigarette, yanking his revolver from his jacket and pointing it downwards. Mandy and I take a step back. The patients and staff begin to flee, Doctor Foster ducking down below the front desk.

Mandy draws her Glock, "Put the gun down Eddy! I won't let you kill our witness. You're just pissed off because your sordid past is about to come up now that this case is connected with ours. Once it goes public, people will know you were a stick up man."

"It's not about that! Gar, you have to believe me. I've been to the crime scene! What Dexter is telling you is lies. You know Ed! You know he'd never draw on anyone, much less my old friend Double D! There is enough evidence at the crime scene to show that Dexter's men drew first. Hell, if Dexter has the gun powder residue on him, I can put Double D's murder weapon in his hand!"

"Don't believe him Garfield! He's just trying to fuck with us to get to his own means."

I don't draw my gun, but I put my hand on it just in case Eddy tries anything stupid, "Mandy is right Eddy, put your gun down…" Mandy smirks to me, shuffling up close.

"Ugh, you're not seeing the bigger picture! Dexter is an asshole. He's feeding you false information!"

"I doubt that's true. Eddy is feeding us what we need to know so he can stay out of jail. I guess I didn't know Ed that well, but it looks like he's gone off the deep end, killed Double D and taking both Buttercup and 2.5 million in cash." I tell Eddy. I'm going to stand on this. Dexter doesn't seem like the type to lie to me when he's dangerously close to being convicted.

Eddy looks at us like we're idiots. He shoves his gun in his holster and storms towards the front entrance. He turns back to look at us, pure hatred his eyes, "You'll regret this… You both will." He then walks out.

Mandy slides her Glock back in her holster, giving a disgusted look to the leaving Eddy. "Well, I guess we should let IA know about Eddy at some point." She says. She then grabs me by the collar, tugging me down. I feel myself come face to face with Mandy. She's flushed. She gives me a small kiss on the lips, parting with a wicked, little smirk, "Thanks for believing me." She says, giving me a wink.

I'm still a little shocked as we make our way up to the supply closet. Mandy is smiling to herself, shyly looking away from me. As we get to the closet, I open the door to-

Dexter is gone. All that's sitting there is an empty hospital bed and a pair of wristless hand cuffs.. "Fuck me…" I say, leaning up against the door frame. It doesn't connect with Mandy immediately, but as soon as she sees the empty bed her brows furrow. She pulls out her police radio, "Dispatch, we need an APB out on both Ed and Dexter..."

She continues as I just stare at Dexter's bed… Could Eddy have been right?

END OF BEAST BOY CHAPTER 02


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